Fisherman missing off Hernando coastline
Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 6:33 pmHere is breaking news, 5/18, that a friend just emailed over to me, hopefully a good ending will be coming soon.
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A massive search is underway in the Gulf of Mexico after authorities found an abandoned boat in the water near the Pasco County coastline.
The 17-foot white flats boat is registered to Michael Curl, a 50-year-old resident of Hernando Beach, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Tasha Tully. He is the one presumed missing at this time.
Authorities said two boaters found Curl's vessel at 11:05 a.m. Friday about one nautical mile west of the Pithlachascotee River.
Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are searching by air and water in along the coast from New Port Richey to the Hudson Beach area.
"The search will continue through the evening and into the night," said FWC spokesman Gary Morse.
Preliminary information indicates that Curl left the docks at Hernando Beach on Wednesday or Thursday morning to go fishing, according to conflicting reports from the Coast Guard and FWC. He was never reported missing.
Morse said the keys were in the boat's ignition but the engine was not running because the battery died. Authorities found a cell phone and bait in the boat.
Searchers are operating under the premise that the boat's operator possibly fell overboard.
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A massive search is underway in the Gulf of Mexico after authorities found an abandoned boat in the water near the Pasco County coastline.
The 17-foot white flats boat is registered to Michael Curl, a 50-year-old resident of Hernando Beach, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Tasha Tully. He is the one presumed missing at this time.
Authorities said two boaters found Curl's vessel at 11:05 a.m. Friday about one nautical mile west of the Pithlachascotee River.
Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are searching by air and water in along the coast from New Port Richey to the Hudson Beach area.
"The search will continue through the evening and into the night," said FWC spokesman Gary Morse.
Preliminary information indicates that Curl left the docks at Hernando Beach on Wednesday or Thursday morning to go fishing, according to conflicting reports from the Coast Guard and FWC. He was never reported missing.
Morse said the keys were in the boat's ignition but the engine was not running because the battery died. Authorities found a cell phone and bait in the boat.
Searchers are operating under the premise that the boat's operator possibly fell overboard.